London – Prime Minister Tony Blair will announce a new timetable today for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq, with 1,500 to return home in several weeks, the BBC reported.
Blair will also tell the House of Commons during his regular weekly appearance before it that a total of about 3,000 British soldiers will have left southern Iraq by the end of 2007, if the security there is sufficient, the British Broadcasting Corp. said Tuesday night, quoting government officials who weren’t identified.
The BBC said Blair was not expected to say when the rest of Britain’s forces would leave Iraq.
Britain has about 7,100 soldiers there.
Britain has long been the most important coalition member in Iraq after the U.S. But Blair knows the British public and politicians from his own Labor Party want the troops out as quickly as possible, and don’t want to see Britain stick with the United States in Iraq for the long haul.
Militarily, a British withdrawal isn’t likely to have much effect on the stepped-up U.S. operation in Baghdad or the war with the Sunnis in Anbar province. However, Iraqi forces could have a tough time maintaining security in mostly Shiite southern Iraq, including Basra.
Blair’s office refused to comment on the BBC report, which also said Blair would tell the Commons that if the situation worsens on the ground on Iraq, his new game plan could change.
Blair and Bush talked by secure video link Tuesday morning, and Bush views Britain’s troop cutbacks as “a sign of success” in Iraq, said U.S. National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe.
“While the United Kingdom is maintaining a robust force in southern Iraq, we’re pleased that conditions in Basra have improved sufficiently that they are able to transition more control to the Iraqis,” he said.
